A new year and a new beginning! Tips for getting off to a great start with your training for 2014 If there are any topics you'd like to see addressed on the main website this year, do please feel free to make suggestions
Re: A new year, a new beginning I need to stop panicking and jumping from one thing to another whenever I read a new training post! A written plan would keep me focused too Jacqui! Good luck everybody x
Re: A new year, a new beginning Amen sisters. Plans, focus and sticking on topic. Oh and lighter evenings, less rain and fewer parcels to pack
Re: A new year, a new beginning I have too many things for a training plan : I also have to stop thinking I need to train every post I read about :
Re: A new year, a new beginning Oh Helen - do you do that too? ;D Some posts I have taken to just skimming or I would get totally bogged down!
Re: A new year, a new beginning Jac I have to try so very hard not to think I must train everything or I would go even more insane, if that's possible I hear you all say ;D I have 4 things on my list:- 1. Recall 2. Retrieving 3. Heel work 4. Stop whistle
Re: A new year, a new beginning I only have a pup to sort out and maintain the training of two working gundogs ! Lol 2014 is going to be a breeze
Re: A new year, a new beginning [quote author=TeamGSP link=topic=3854.msg44274#msg44274 date=1388695652] I only have a pup to sort out and maintain the training of two working gundogs ! Lol 2014 is going to be a breeze [/quote] Ha ha yes indeed! My list is shorter 1. Recall 2. Heelwork 3. Stop whistle
Re: A new year, a new beginning My list was bound to be longer than yours Jac, I have Charlie and you have Lilly x
Re: A new year, a new beginning I enjoyed this article - very motivating. I have a whole bunch of stuff to work on, especially as I think about things I want to do this summer, like camping/hiking in the mountains and having my cousin and wife from Wales come for a visit. So: 1) Recall - stalled over Christmas break, back at it on Monday! 2) Stop whistle 3) "Go to your bed"/ "place" 4) Training not to walk nicely on crowded sidewalks, without bothering other people/dogs Those are the main ones, but also want to do some "fun" stuff, like "Shake paw", "bang", and especially "fetch"!! Also maybe frisbee, depending on how well the fetch goes.
Re: A new year, a new beginning This post has got me remotivated. Last summer, I had finally begun making notes after training sessions. They were messy and not much use. I bought a file and sat and wrote out very specific plans for proofing, latency, speed and new behaviours along with a list of fun tricks to teach in the future. It lasted a couple of weeks and then I went back to ad-lib with most behaviours. Naughty me. I suppose I will see improvement when I look back at what I had recorded, so not all is lost. Now then, where did I put that file?
Re: A new year, a new beginning My list is very different, but I'm still upbeat about it - at least we are working on something :. 1) calmness on lead, whatever may come our way - our big challenge is foxes in the playground at night. They stick their tongues out and say nah-nah-na-nar-na and so he jumps around. And stay still in vets waiting room, without treats, and with lots of other dogs. 2 ) crate training, he now chooses to sleep there (now he has a memory foam mattress, he likes his memory foam : ). Working up to the horror of the amount of time we've got to stay quiet. 3 ) sling under tummy to wheelbarrow up steps - we've working on sling and ramp together to have a back up. He hates both right now. 4) as 1) but on a 12inch lead, without pulling 5) sit and keep feet still, regardless of doorbell or who comes in 6) stay calm while wearing a cone - it's not going well : 7) and our "fun" stuff, which right now is teeth cleaning (I'm clicker training "open" ) and watch me if I pick up my whistle (although I found out he already does this but perhaps not quite in the right way - the rattle of my whistle and clicker as I reach for them is a very effective recall signal) It's an odd list, but it's what we need to work on - and enjoyable in a way. Our recall is top notch though. : not that we've any use for it right now.
Re: A new year, a new beginning [quote author=JulieT link=topic=3854.msg44723#msg44723 date=1388881699] 7) and our "fun" stuff, which right now is teeth cleaning (I'm clicker training "open" )[/quote] Can I ask exactly how you're doing this, Julie? We need to work on teeth cleaning... right now it's more of a suck-off-the-toothpaste, clamp-jaws-shut exercise than dental hygiene... ??? Clare
Re: A new year, a new beginning [quote author=ClareJ link=topic=3854.msg44741#msg44741 date=1388917255] Can I ask exactly how you're doing this, Julie? We need to work on teeth cleaning... right now it's more of a suck-off-the-toothpaste, clamp-jaws-shut exercise than dental hygiene... ??? Clare [/quote] I saw a vid on you tube (which, very annoyingly, I can't find right now - I've changed PC and lost my bookmarks) - only of the end result, though, so I've made up the clicker training myself. It's a good time filler exercise for us because it's about no movement (obviously, apart from that you want the dog to open his mouth). Whether we'll actually get as far as cleaning teeth is another matter. The end result is you put your finger and thumb in the front of the dog's mouth, cue "open" and open your finger and thumb, and the dog keeps his mouth open with your finger under the teeth of his top jaw, and thumb on the teeth of his bottom. This is with your left hand. With your right, you can then clean the teeth. So, right now, we are at me being able to put my finger and thumb in Charlie's mouth, and his head stays still. Step one, Charlie is lying down, still, with me sat on the floor, Charlie lined up with my left leg, head just below my hip level. This was easy, because he has done a lot of clicker training, if I have my treats and clicker, he is ready for action. Step two, getting Charlie to keep his head still while my finger and thumb approached his mouth - clicking for perfect stillness. It took quite a few sessions. He kept trying to reach for my fingers. And the moments he kept still at first were tiny, he got the idea quickly, but it was hard for him to resist reaching for my fingers. Step three, getting Charlie to keep his head still, and not resist as I slide my finger and thumb under his lip to rest against his front teeth. As step two with the clicker. That's as far as we've got. Next I've got to get him to start opening his mouth as I open my fingers - this is probably not going to be difficult, as his inclination is to mouth my finger and thumb so he'll open his teeth very easily. I'm not sure what I'll do when I need to have a both a clicker and toothbrush in my right hand. Get someone to help, I suppose. I'm not sure this is terribly practical, or worth it, really. But clicker training exercises where the dog stays still, lying down, are hard to find - so we're giving it a go.
Re: A new year, a new beginning Thanks for this... I have the same problem in that I need a third hand in order to get any tooth cleaning done, so decided I need to clicker train a specific routine for it. We have been trying this on the dining room table so far (thought it would also help with potential vet visits!) and it's something that Brew is happier with than the OH!! ;D So far we sit nicely on the table Clare
Re: A new year, a new beginning My list Stop whistle - I've carried over last years new year resolution so by this time next year I hope to have the stop whistle at a decent distance. This is my main goal this year. Recall - I think this will always be on going with my two. They aren't bad with recall from minor distractions need to proof harder ones. Keep working on the nerves - we ve made a lot of improvement with this but I think this to will always be work in progress. Well for quite awhile anyway. I'm guilty of trying to do too many things at once aswell and moving on too quick or getting frustrated that it's not working because I'm not giving it enough time. So I'm concentrating on stop whistle and recall until we've got it. Retrieves mixed in obviously to make it fun. ;D
Re: A new year, a new beginning [quote author=ClareJ link=topic=3854.msg44757#msg44757 date=1388919864] I need a third hand in order to get any tooth cleaning done [/quote] A 4th if clicker training it! Seriously thinking how I can adapt my clicker so I can operate it with my mouth!
